Early exit

Published: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 08:00 AM.

Congratulations to the parents of chorus members who attend Patronis and Beach elementary schools, and to those whose children attend Breakfast Point Middle School. All your children received uproarious applause and whoops after their performances, and they deserved all the accolades they got.

However, the chorus members from Surfside Middle School did not receive the strong response the rest of the children did. Not that we parents, grandparents and friends did not try. It was simply that there were not enough folks left. You see, most of the parents left after their little ones performed, not bothering to stay for the remainder of the show. We all had to be there at the same time, not knowing which group would perform first.

My evening was planned. I went to the lighting of the tree ceremony at Frank Brown Park and then sat down to hear the sounds of the season performed by children who had worked extremely hard, taught by patient and learned chorus directors, to learn the tunes and, in some cases, a bit of choreography to entertain all of us.

You have taught your children a valuable lesson: that they are the only ones who count. Nobody else matters. Please don’t use the excuse that the next day was a school day or that you had to work the next day. We all live busy lives. However, the holidays are only once a year. It isn’t as though you are being asked to keep your kids up later than usual while you get 30 minutes less sleep a night, once or twice a week, every single week of the year.

Gosh, I just cannot understand the thoughtless nature of some.

MAUREEN BOUTWELL Panama City Beach

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Congratulations to the parents of chorus members who attend Patronis and Beach elementary schools, and to those whose children attend Breakfast Point Middle School. All your children received uproarious applause and whoops after their performances, and they deserved all the accolades they got.

However, the chorus members from Surfside Middle School did not receive the strong response the rest of the children did. Not that we parents, grandparents and friends did not try. It was simply that there were not enough folks left. You see, most of the parents left after their little ones performed, not bothering to stay for the remainder of the show. We all had to be there at the same time, not knowing which group would perform first.

My evening was planned. I went to the lighting of the tree ceremony at Frank Brown Park and then sat down to hear the sounds of the season performed by children who had worked extremely hard, taught by patient and learned chorus directors, to learn the tunes and, in some cases, a bit of choreography to entertain all of us.

You have taught your children a valuable lesson: that they are the only ones who count. Nobody else matters. Please don’t use the excuse that the next day was a school day or that you had to work the next day. We all live busy lives. However, the holidays are only once a year. It isn’t as though you are being asked to keep your kids up later than usual while you get 30 minutes less sleep a night, once or twice a week, every single week of the year.